Journal of General Practice

Mental Health Engagement Network: Innovating Community-Based Mental Healthcare

Abstract

Forchuk C, Rudnick A, Hoch J, Donelle L, Campbell R, Osaka W, Edwards B, Osuch E, Norman R, Vingilis E, Mitchell B, Reiss J, Corring D, Petrenko M, Godin M, Reed J and McKillop M

Background: Canadian mental health care reform calls for new service delivery models that capitalize on health promotion, support and early intervention as patients and services are transitioning from institutions to communities. The Mental Health Engagement Network (MHEN) intervention is a smart technology enabled service delivery model that electronically links individuals to their health care professionals, promoting information sharing between individuals and their health care professionals, and promoting access to mental health care services. This project, funded by Canada Health Infoway, began in September 2011 and will complete in March 2013. Methods: The MHEN project is a longitudinal, mixed qualitative and quantitative research study which has recruited 400 (245 men and 155 women) research participants diagnosed with a mood or a psychotic disorder who are currently working with community based mental health care professionals (54 mental health care professionals across 4 agencies in the London and surrounding area). Each participant has been randomly assigned into Group 1 (early intervention) or Group 2 (later intervention). Group 1 participants received an iPhone 4S, a TELUS health space™ account, and version 1.0 of the Lawson SMART record (a web-based application that provides individuals with a personal health record and tools to help them manage their health) in July, 2012. Participants in Group 2 initially acted as a control group, and received the version 2 intervention in March, 2013. Results: Participants felt the Lawson SMART record was quite (33.1%) or extremely (29.2%) helpful, and gave participants quite a bit more (26.8%) and an extreme amount more (21%) independence. Web analytics demonstrated that participants visited the Lawson SMART record mobile and desktop home page a total of 16, 928 times. Conclusion: This new service delivery model has the potential to provide quality care to those living in the community with mental illness, enhance health status and quality of life, and reduce the burden of mental illness on the healthcare system by decreasing more costly service uses.